150 Years of Ministry: 1875 – 2025
For 150 years, the legacy of David Caleb Cook has lived on through the ministry of publishing and the mission of equipping the Church to reach today’s generations.
David C. Cook was born in East Worchester, N.Y., in 1850 as the son of a Methodist pastor, Rev. Ezra Cook. He joined the Methodist church at 14 and quickly became interested in the Sunday school movement, teaching two or three classes each weekend.
In 1867, Cook moved to Chicago and started a successful business selling sewing machines. His business was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire, but he quickly rebuilt and used the profits to help children and families who were displaced by the fire. He also continued teaching Sunday school.
David C. Cook Publishing Co.
Sunday school lessons were unavailable at that time and study aids like teacher’s guides were too costly for most people. So, in 1875, Cook made the life-changing decision to leave his business and start a Sunday school curriculum publishing company. He was already printing a small pamphlet called Our Sunday School Quarterly with a circulation of around 40,000, and with the help of his wife, Marguerite, launched a second quarterly.
Eventually, Cook’s poor health forced him to move to California where he bought land. After oil was discovered on his neighbor’s property, he was able to sell his land at a huge profit. He used the money to buy a new printing plant in Chicago and continue his ministry. The publishing company then moved to Elgin, Ill., in 1882, where it became the city’s second-largest industrial employer.
The Beginnings of a Nonprofit
After David C. Cook’s death in 1927, his son, David C. Cook II, and grandson, David C. Cook III, each served a stint as the company’s president. Under the leadership of David C. Cook III and his sister, Francis Cook Vance, the David C. Cook Foundation was established as a nonprofit. The foundation ensured that revenue generated by David C. Cook Publishing Company was directed toward ministry efforts that benefited Christians worldwide.
Publishing for All Generations
In 1948, PIX was published—a picture strip comic-style Bible that paved the way for the publication of The Picture Bible in 1973 and eventually, The Action Bible in 2010. The Picture Bible, or some portion of it, has been translated into more than 140 languages, and 86 million copies have been distributed worldwide. To date, The Action Bible has sold more than 5 million copies.
A History of Trusted Curriculum
Bible-in-Life was first published in 1964 and is still David C Cook’s most popular curriculum line. Many Sunday school curricula at the time were denominational or geared toward churches in a specific geographic region. Bible-in-Life was designed to be a Bible-based curriculum focused on life application, providing a trusted alternative to denominational curriculum.
Over a decade later, Echoes African American Curriculum debuted. The Bible-teaching sections were based on Bible-in-Life, but Echoes was written, edited, marketed, and sold by a staff of African American employees specifically to serve Black churches. In addition to Church of God General Conference, three denominations participate in the Echoes imprint: National Baptist Convention of America, Progressive National Baptist, and Church of Christ Holiness USA.
Expanding Ministry Through Books
Around the same time Echoes was being developed, David C. Cook Publishing Co. launched a book ministry, later called Chariot Family Publishing, which was budgeted to produce 50 titles annually. The books division grew throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s with the additions of Lion Publishing U.S., Beacon Distributing Ltd., Victor Books, Honor Books, and others.
In 1995, the growing company’s corporate headquarters moved to a 90-acre campus in Colorado Springs. When the land was purchased and the building design was set in place, the street was named in honor of Lee Vance, who worked at the company for 53 years and served as president from 1976 to 1989.
During this time, the foundation and publishing company were rebranded as Cook Communications Ministries (now David C Cook).
Acquisitions and Growth
David C Cook expanded its Sunday school curriculum portfolio through the acquisitions of Scripture Press, Gospel Light, and Standard Publishing and the development of new curriculum lines, like Rio, Tru, and Wonder Ink—a completely digital, customizable children’s ministry curriculum that launched in 2022.
Integrity Music, the world’s most recognized worship music company, joined the David C Cook family in 2011. Kingsway, a U.K. worship ministry that was acquired in the ‘90s, and Integrity Music now operate as one music organization, using songs to disciple people through the local church. Today, Integrity Music releases about 40 new projects a year by artists, bands, and worship teams.
2022 brought exciting changes for the books division of David C Cook with the launch of Esther Press, an imprint focused on nonfiction titles by and for courageous women.
In 2024, David C Cook acquired Group Publishing, a leader in Vacation Bible School programs, and became the largest independent publisher of curriculum for the interdenominational church market.
The Present
David C Cook continues to thrive under the leadership of current CEO, Bill Reeves, who joined the company in 2023.
David C Cook experienced record-breaking book sales in 2024 and is partnering with brands like Hillsong Publishing, The Chosen, and Prime Video to continue equipping the church with compelling, Christ-centered content. The Action Bible has captured the No. 1 spot for all Bibles sold on Amazon, and we’re excited to continue sharing God’s Word with kids and comic-book lovers around the world.
With the support of faithful donors, millions of children, families, and ministry leaders in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are reached, taught, and equipped through Scripture and contextually-adapted, life-changing resources and training in their own language.
After 150 years, we are still passionate about God’s work in and through local churches everywhere, engaging all ages in a lifelong journey of faith. Our desire is for individuals and faith groups to experience the transforming power of the Gospel through music and media that fit the culture, language, and spiritual needs of their communities.
